Controversy surrounded Anurag Singh Tomar who claimed to have been the president of the youth wing of Gujarat unit of Samajwadi Party (SP) when he joined the BJP Friday in presence of chief minister Narendra Modi, with the Gujarat SP claiming that there was no official by that name heading their youth wing. Modi had even flagged off the Vikas Jyot yatra led by him at Limbayat the same day.

Tomar had claimed Friday that he had submitted his resignation to SP state president and Surat office bearers and joined BJP. Modi, while flagging off the yatra had said, ““We heartily welcome Anurag Tomar and his friends who had left SP party as they have seen development and growth here in Gujarat. The reason for them to join BJP is they wanted to protect the future generations from poverty, starvation, struggleful life, etc., and they believed that BJP’s route is development on which Gujarat. Through Vikas Jyot Yatra, Anurag will spread light, energy in different districts of Uttar Pradesh.” Modi is to address a public gathering at the culmination of the yatra in Lucknow on March 2.

Anurag Tomar (35), is born in Etawah district in Uttar Pradesh and his education had been done from Surat and Bangalore. He runs textile business in Surat city and stays with his wife and children. Talking to the Indian Express Anurag Tomar said, “Since last two years I was Samajwadi Party president of Surat district youth wing. Our family has close relations with Mulayam Singh Yadav and his family members. I met Mulayam Singh and his son many a times. We have joined BJP seeing the development in Gujarat. The reason for leaving SP is that we had thought that Akhilesh will do better in Uttar Pradesh and develop it, but he failed. We believe that Narendra Modi will only bring development and for that we have joined BJP and will work for BJP.”

Surat city Samajwadi Party leader and state general secretary Gulab Singh Rajput said, “ I am with the Samajwadi party since last ten years and till now we have not seen or heard name of Anurag Singh Tomar. He is falsely claiming himself as youth president of our party, for last two years. We don’t have a person by such name in our membership lists and even we have heard his name for first time. During last assembly election our party’s Surat district youth president Paresh Bhojani had fought election from Kamrej Seat and he had lost. We are also shocked by reading his name in the news paper. We suspect that he wanted to get some benefit from BJP and for that he had used our party’s name.”

Gujarat State Samajwadi Party president Surendra Yadav said, “Narendra Modi is falsely claiming that now SP party workers and leaders are joining BJP. We could not believe that Modi who is prime minsiteral candidate would use such a cheap thing to get publicity. We have thoroughly checked and found that Anurag is falsely claiming to be youth president of Surat district. We suspect that to get into the BJP party and come closer to Narendra Modi, he might have used our party name. A member should have given at least 7-8 years to the party before he reaches the post of president. We have told our party leaders in Surat to check and find out who is this man and question him.”